Tagged: Christian Post

Proverbs 18:13 says “He who answers a matter before he hears it,
It is folly and shame to him.”

Then verse 17 says….“The first one to plead his cause seems right,
Until his neighbor comes and examines him.”

There’s two sides to every story. We love to assume that we have the whole story when in fact, we only have a very small piece.

I am guilty of this in many ways. Including hearing this situation regarding Fred Hammond doing a gospel album with Snoop Dog.

I answered a matter before I heard it.

First, we all know what the Scriptures says in 2 Corinthians 6:14-18.

There must be a distinction between the believer and the unbeliever. There is no equality with the righteous and the unrighteous. There can be no fellowship with light and darkness. NO accord with Christ and Belial. Etcetera.

Based on this premise of Scripture, and another one in James 4:4 that friendship with the world is “enmity with God.”

When it comes to these two Scriptures, it’s very easy to put on the Pharisee hat and attack something without hearing the matter.

Based on actual fact, not word of mouth or hear say, this story is more than what meets the eye.

First, I didn’t directly apologize when I should have for acting and saying something without some knowledge as to what is really going on behind the scenes. We make these mistakes to crucify any Christian that may be sent by God to be the one that may be instrumental by God to reach someone that others may not be in a position to reach.

The only thing that I will say about additional insight that some or most of us are not privilege to see or know, is that we who are in the Body of Christ are zealous for the Lord. But we must never let zeal cloud our judgment based on assembling and segregating points of Scriptures to justify a point. In many cases, we pontificate our points and blaspheme anyone with a plausible view. We do take it personal and we must never that mistake.

We do a better job attacking the people that are legitimate in the Body of Christ than attacking the forces of darkness.

Consider this Biblical example. The disciples were upset at Jesus for talking to the woman at Jacob’s well. As the woman said, “Samaritans have no dealings with the Jews.”

Jesus ministered to her anyway because something bigger than inner fighting among cousins would take place. The whole city came out to meet Jesus all because Jesus didn’t condemn the woman to hell but offered her living water. In another incident, Jews bought a woman caught in adultery. Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you. GO! And sin no more.”

We have learned the art of condemning people before hearing the matter.

It is called “Rush to judgment.”

We’ve established a tradition over the commandment.

Jesus said “Go into all the world” and we’ve established a tradition of “condemn all the world.”

Jesus said, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”

Why is it that we want to call fire down (see Luke 9:51-57) on those that need the fire of His compassion, not to excuse sin, but to save them from sin?

Have we become so detached from the power of the gospel that we quickly condemn, not only the world, but anyone that may be used as an instrument to reach the world?

We’ve therefore, established the tradition of condemning the people whom God might be using to win a soul into the kingdom.

We all know the dangers of the world diluting the power of the gospel. We’ve seen where “Hip Hop” has and is continuing to have a demonic influence on young Christians that never bring fruit into maturity because of never disassociating themselves from the world and it’s music.

We know the dangers of a well known minister of the gospel in song to join a man of the world to do a “gospel album.”

The world has a nasty habit of making worldly music appear safe to listen to.

And when you add to the mix any “gospel” to the world, it is a potential trap for darkness to lord itself over unsuspecting believers.

But on the flip side, what if the Lord is using Fred Hammond to reach Snoop or his faithful listeners?

Jesus still knows how to plant seed in places where we don’t believe His seed has a chance. Jesus still knows how to reach the lost when we’ve failed miserably. Jesus still knows where the fish are and casts a wide net into the deep, even when we don’t “approve.”

What if the Lord knows something that we do not know?

We think that we know everything that God is doing.

Is the gospel powerless or powerful?

Who gave us the right to say that God would never use Fred Hammond or Tasha Cobbs or anyone for that matter in the music world? With Tasha Cobbs, I do not have all of the information so the jury better remain out on this one. As wicked as Hip Hop is with its demonic purpose, darkness cannot force light to another part of the room.

Look at what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 5:9-10…..“I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.”

There is a difference between “keeping company” and being among people that may or may not be involved with sin.

What if this is Snoop’s last chance for coming to Christ and Fred Hammond’s gospel track is the seed planted to start something happening?

Who are we to tell the Lord how to do what He does best without anyone’s permission?

When you were in the world, God did everything to reach you. The Lord is doing the same for Snoop. Like it or not.

I didn’t know this and my daughter ran information to me that Snoop’s mom is a preacher and has been praying for her son to come to the Lord. Could this be the one thing in this album that shows signs of the Lord getting ready to manifest a “glorious salvation?”

We do not know, but to rush to judgment and answer a matter before it is heard, is folly and a shame.

I do not endorse Snoop’s gospel album nor do I recommend listening to it IF Snoop is not legitimately saved. We’ve all seen what happens with the world that take on doing something for “God.”

Separation from the things and activities of the world is different from celebrating and participating in the things of the world.

To my knowledge and based on first hand knowledge, Fred Hammond neither celebrated nor participated in the past or present worldly activities of Snoop Dog. Let me also say that making a gospel album saves no one. Knowing the Lord in the pardoning of your sins in repentance and receiving salvation, being born again by the power of the Holy Spirit is the way to salvation.

Participating in a Snoop Dog gospel album raised serious eyebrows.

In fact, it brought about wrath from some segments of the Body of Christ on Fred Hammond.

James 1:19-20 says…..“So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.”

Many of us believe that we should remain separated from the world and not bother with them. However, when Jesus is found among the world in the nation of Israel, he gets a puzzled look from His disciples who would later be commissioned (Pun intended) to do the same.

Before they turn away from the Lord there was a couple that sang a song “Jesus, With Skin On.” We are the one that is to be salt and light in the world. Who are we to withdraw our light or the light in someone else because they were asked to do a legitimate gospel track?

Let’s be careful and not be quick to condemn unless we know without a shadow of a doubt that legitimate believers celebrated and participated in the sins of the world. When such irrefutable evidence of collusion in sin is confirmed, it is expected of us to sound the alarm to warn the believer.

But when there is no evidence, the rush to judgment is no different from answering a matter before we hear it.

Many will not like what I shared. That goes with the territory. But I am not absolute and God is. All of what we say is subject to be judged by God.

If this is a plan to save Snoop before it is too late, let’s not interfere with how God may be doing this. Based on inside information, not hear say, this plan to save Snoop was in the making 17 years ago on Snoop’s tour bus. That’s all I will say about it.

Could it be that God is using a man that isn’t supposed to be here?

Fred Hammond told a story of his about him being aborted almost. Could it be that God saved Fred Hammond’s life just to be used by God to get Snoop into the kingdom? Could it be that Snoop’s mother’s prayers may be answered because somebody prayed to save Fred’s life in the womb?

Gamaliel said a few words of wisdom that I will share to this new generation.

“Leave these “men” alone. If this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing, but if it is of God, you CANNOT overthrow it-lest you even be found to fight against God.”

You meet a hot looking single in church. She is just too sexy to resist. You ask her out for a date. But in the back of your mind, it will be more than a date. In her mind, it’s what she planned all along. To capture a male that’s been eyeing you for a little while. She accepts your proposal and you take her out to dinner.

As planned, you then go to your house.

One thing leads to another.

You end up in bed.

In most cases these days, skip dinner and just go straight to bed.

Premarital sex is a “so what” kind of thing these days.

Maintaining your virginity is no longer sacred to many professed believers.

Growing up as a young Christian, the challenges of sexuality were all around me.

Yes, I was even propositioned by a homosexual music minister in a Baptist church.

In school, peer pressure to look to have sex abounded and I would be teased for being a “virgin.”

That didn’t stop me from sexual experimentation or indulging in masturbation. Even while courting, the temptation was there to have sex but I would let off the sexual tension through masturbation.

Yes, I am being truthful about this because almost every young boy upon reaching puberty will experiment sexually. By the time most men are married, they will either have had sex with a girl or boy, both sexes, or with themselves, or all of the above.

In any case, males will have had some sexual experience before they are married.

Single women will more than likely marry a sexually experienced male. Even if he is a virgin, if he has masturbated, he is sexually active with himself. And the same could be said of women that are virgins that are sexually active with themselves.

As I read a Christian Post three part article on premarital sex in the church, I was startled by the number of single Christians engaging in fornication.

Most Christians or professed single believers cross the line more often than we thought.

According to this article, 11% of professed single believers abstain from fornication.

This means that in the approximately 320,000 American Christian churches, 89% of single professed believers engaged in fornication.

According to several educated Christian counselors and Christian sex therapists, as soon as they took note of the power of the Internet, they knew that a storm of epic proportions would be underway and would overwhelm the church.

Today, the winds of perversion are blowing away the people that once stood for righteousness, holiness, and this is a clear indication of where America is not headed, but is already there.

The bed of fornication.

In Revelation chapters 17 and 18, though it is symbolic, we must never forget that any Scripture that is symbolic is a revelation of actuality. Just take a look at the conditions of this world and the condition of the church and you will see that what is revealed in the Book of Revelation is a true depiction of today’s conditions.

This is not to say that we are in the tribulation period, but we are rapidly progressing towards it. I am well aware that there is much disagreement about the dispensation that we are in but put aside the differences and see the reality before your eyes that we are in the bed of fornication and that we are drinking from the wine of her fornication.

2 Timothy 3:1-9 from the Message Bible says this about the last days.

“Don’t be naive. There are difficult times ahead. As the end approaches, people are going to be self–absorbed, money–hungry, self–promoting, stuck–up, profane, contemptuous of parents, crude, coarse, dog–eat–dog, unbending, slanderers, impulsively wild, savage, cynical, treacherous, ruthless, bloated windbags, addicted to lust, and allergic to God.

They’ll make a show of religion, but behind the scenes they’re animals. Stay clear of these people. These are the kind of people who smooth–talk themselves into the homes of unstable and needy women and take advantage of them; women who, depressed by their sinfulness, take up with every new religious fad that calls itself “truth.”

They get exploited every time and never really learn. These men are like those old Egyptian frauds Jannes and Jambres, who challenged Moses. They were rejects from the faith, twisted in their thinking, defying truth itself. But nothing will come of these latest impostors. Everyone will see through them, just as people saw through that Egyptian hoax.”

The world is drunk with the wine of fornication.

This statistic above is a clear indication of the world’s perversion that has undeniably infiltrated the church and almost engulfing every known place where righteousness was thought to be lived and preached.

You see, it’s not just the pinnacle of sexual immorality called homosexuality that is a clear and present danger to the church. It is all forms of sexual immorality. What went under the radar is the ship and aircrafts of fornication and adultery. As you have noticed, we’ve spoken out against the winds of homosexuality, and rightfully so. But we have failed to rein in the tsunami of fornication. And when you look at the definition of fornication, the Greek word for fornication in some places in the NT is “pornea.”

Pornography is graphic illegal sex between two unmarried persons. This includes adultery. And yes, married couples foolishly engage in video taping their sex.

Because the pastors are engaged in porn and masturbation, we have very little, to nothing to stand on to curb this trend unless we repent before we are exposed by God. Some of us pastors are just as drunk with the wine of fornication as the world.

However, the Lord is plenteous in mercy and full of compassion. Slow to wrath and anger. When we turn from our wicked ways, He will abundantly pardon us and cleanse us with the precious blood of Jesus. His wrath will turn and His mercy will overwhelm us. Provided that we repent.

While watching Pastor Keith Moore ministering under a strong anointing. He used to teach at Rhema Bible Training Center in Tulsa OK under the late Dr. Kenneth Hagin and pastors a church in Branson MO, and Sarasota FL.

He shared about repentance.

A lost message these days.

He said that the worst place for anyone to be in is in a refusal to repent.

He said that the problem is not with God forgiving us. The problem is with people that refuse to repent. He shared that God will give us space to repent. But when you deliberately refuse to repent to continue in sin, the only thing left is the judgment of God. Paul shared that if we would judge ourselves we would not be judged so we would not be condemned with the world (see 1 Corinthians 11:31).

While it is never good to sin, we must never reach a place in our lives where we refuse to repent. The moment we deliberately refuse to repent, there is no hope. Judgment must fall. It doesn’t have to fall upon you. At any time before death, we can turn from fornication and live victorious lives in Jesus.